Roasted Pumpkin & Peach Salad + Sydney

In the introduction of our latest book, we have written a sentence about our family feeling most at home when we are not. And as I sit here in our tiny airbnb apartment a bit away from Bondi beach, with Elsa sleeping on the couch next to me and Luise and Isac in a bed that is too small for the three of us, I feel this stronger than ever.

With a few belongings packed in a bag, our apartment in Stockholm rented out and all of us tucked into in a room in a country far far away, we always have our closest and happiest family moments. It’s almost ironic how you become so much more present when you remove all the clutter that you worked half your life to get. We have had just as joyful cooking experiences in this 1 square meter kitchen as we have had in our newly renovated kitchen in Stockholm.

I am trying to grip all these moments that we have together. The hugs, the walks, the talks (Elsa’s one million questions about everything she sees), the simple home cooked meals. I want to physically hold on and not letting the moments slip away. But it doesn’t work. 5 weeks have already passed here in Sydney and today we are off to New Zealand for new adventures. We are packing ourselves into a camper van, which means that our space is going to be even tighter. We are also having two cooking events atLittle Bird Organics in Auckland. Unfortunately all the tickets sold out on the first day, so we didn’t have time to put it up here (we are planning to do a similar event in Melbourne in February, keep your eye out here for more info).

I haven’t used my DSLR camera much on this trip, so here are instead a few snaps from our instagram feeds.

We followed all the Sydney cafe and restaurant recommendations that we got from you guys earlier and wanted to return the favour by listing some of our favourites. We have been living in different places around Bondi, so most our tips are from there. For those of you living in Sydney, these places are probably old news. But they might hopefully come handy for anyone planning a visit. We are coming back to Sydney for a week in March before we fly back to Sweden, so let us know if we have missed any of your favourites and we’ll try to plan in a visit.

Kitchen By Mike. 1/85 Dunning Avenue, Roseberry. We have had a bunch of people recommending us to visit this place and we can easily understand why. It was such a cool place and the food was rustic and very tasty. The salad recipe we serve below was vaguely inspired by our lunch there.

Sadhana Kitchen. 147 Enmore Road. A small raw food restaurant that serves a whole lot of different raw food dishes with a new twist, not just salads but also lasagna, tacos and vegan BLT.

Porch and Parlour.17/110 Ramsgate Avenue, Bondi Beach. One of the hippest places in Bondi. Combines cosmic salads topped with fermented vegetables with good coffee and amazing smoothies and transforms into a wine parlour during the night.

Bread & Circus. 21 Fountain Street, Alexandria. Colourful cafe and a great brunch place with salads, small sides and DIY bread boxes filled with all kind of good stuff.

Orchard Street Cafe.2 Brighton Boulevard, North Bondi. What we love most about raw food cafe is the nice vibe from the huge open windows and kelim covered outdoor bench. They also have very delicious and investing earthy juices and smoothies based on healing herbs that are worth checking out.

Bondi Harvest. Level 4, Westfield, Bondi Junction. We are fans of the Bondi Harvest youtube channel and was excited to hear about their newly opened restaurant. You wish this surfer inspired place would be located right on the beach, but instead they have opened inside the not-so-charming Westfield mall. The food was however really good. Epic salads and tasty sandwiches. Seasonal and good quality produce.

Pressed Juices.85 Gould Street, Bondi Beach. There are plenty of cold-pressed juice stores in Sydney but we got most our juices and almond mylks from here. So many great combination of flavours. Elsa’s favourite was the Strawberry Mylk.

About Life.1 Kiaora Ln, Double Bay (and 4 other locations). An all organic supermarket with everything you might be looking for. They also have a huge take-away lunch buffet with everything from hot dishes to raw food.

Earth Food Store.81a Gould Street, Bondi Beach. The most spectacular thing about this food store is how beautiful the vegetables are displayed and the cozy atmosphere. They also have a cafe with smoothies, salads, frittata and sweet potato patties.

Gertrude & Alice. 46 Hall st, Bondi Beach. There is always a special vibe at book cafes. We spent a few hours here, reading to Elsa and flipping through Australian cookbooks while having tea and snacks.

M Deli. 32 Fletcher Street, Bondi. This was our local cafe while living in Bondi. We lived very close and went here for coffee and muffins from the always smiling staff in the mornings. They also serve an array of great tasting salad bowls and tarts for lunch.

Roasted Pumpkin, Fennel & Peach Salad
We made this salad for a picnic that we had with readers in Sydney. The picnic was so wonderful and the salad was simple but great! You want to roast the pumpkins until they are almost a bit burnt on the edges. Keep the pumpkin seeds hanging for the genuine rustic look (like the ones we got at Kitchen By Mike). We bought an organic Kent pumpkin at Eveleigh Farmer’s market, but hokkaido or butternut will work too.

Cut the pumpkin into large squares, leaving the skin on and seeds intact. Place skin side down, on a baking tray. Drizzle with 2 tbsp oil, cover evenly and sprinkle with sea salt. Roast the pumpkin in the oven for 30-45 minutes, until the pieces are very soft and the tips are slightly burned. Combine 4 tbsp oil, honey, lime juice, then season to taste with sea salt and pepper. Taste the dressing and adjust the flavours to your preference. Transfer the roasted pumpkin pieces to a bowl and pour over half of the dressing (save the other half for the salad) and toss gently. While the oven is still warm, toast the almonds on a baking tray until golden, about 10 minutes.

Prepare the salad ingredients. In a large bowl, gently toss peaches, fennels and lettuce. Add the remaining half of the dressing and combine. Arrange everything on a platter. Then tuck in the roasted pumpkin pieces, scatter with almonds and sprinkle with fennel fronds. Serve.

There is nothing I can emphasize more than that feeling of belonging somewhere when you’re travelling. I have been travelling for the past two years now and am actually currently in Auckland. I tried to get a ticket a couple days ago but they were already sold out. In case you are planning a picnic or have some spare time I would love to meet you!

Is this just me? How can you have pumpkin with peaches? They do not ripen at the same time. There is never a time when I have a pumpkin when I have a peach. Course if you buy a ripe peach when you do have a pumpkin – if you import it from a long way away, it would be possible, but for those of us that want to eat -in season – this is not possible. This might be just me….

Hi Stella, we picked up the peaches and the pumpkin on a farmer’s market here in Australia. They are actually both in season during the summer/autumn in Australia. We realise that this might seem a bit unfair to our readers in Europe and US but it makes most sense to us creating recipes with ingredients that are in season where we are at the moment.
If peaches aren’t in season where you live, you can sub them with other fruit of choice. I would perhaps try oranges and pomegranate as a winter option.
/David

Happy to hear you enjoyed Sydney, and sounds like you made it to some of the best places (love Porch and their salads and coffee)! I would also recommend Suzie Q cafe in Surry Hills, if you get a chance on your next visit.

“It’s almost ironic how you become so much more present when you remove all the clutter that you worked half your life to get.” That sentence stuck with me, hard. I’ve recently moved and it took me days to organise my bedroom alone, and had never realised how anxious all the “stuff” I had was making me – and how I had put that entirely on myself!

So glad you’ve enjoyed Sydney, and what a gorgeous recipe! Peaches in summer salads are my fave. x

Hi so glad you have had a wonderful time in our gorgeous city but you don’t mention anything on the ‘other’ side of the harbour bridge. The northern beaches of Sydney are so much better than the busy touristy Bondi! When back in Sydney head north it is so much nicer!!

Wow, I need to go to Sydney now! But Melbourne is the food Capital, it’s true :) . When you come here you must visit Shakahari in Faraday street, the most amazing Vegetarian food, and stroll through Lygon street for the sweetest cafes, including my favourite with a little red door and the best hot chocolates 2 years running, Monsieur truffe!

I’m moving to Sydney from London in a couple of days so this is perfect timing – only wish I could’ve been there in time for the picnic! If you do another one in March i’ll be THERE (and I promise i’d bring something super delicious) x

You seem to have stayed in much the same area, all Bondi or Double Bay. Food is good there but there is loads of other good places to eat around Sydney. The major difference between eating in Sydney & Melbourne is Melbourne’s food places are all close together and one can choose between them easily but Sydney is a much bigger city and the good restaurants range between the eastern suburbs the inner west and then Parramatta and further west. You haven’t eaten well in Sydney if you haven’t eaten at Parramatta. Personally, I love Kitchen by Mike or The Grounds at Alexandria or the Organic Cafe in Surry Hills. Glad you enjoyed Sydney anyway.

So glad that you enjoyed my beautiful city! It’s not cheap to live in but I think it’s worth every penny. Also in Bondi you could check out Jed’s Food Store and Bondi Wholefoods which is right near the Orchard Street Cafe. Three Blue Ducks at Bronte is great too.
But both Cornersmith and Illi Hill in Marrickville (in the Inner West, near Enmore/Newtown) are my favourites for delicious meals with amazing produce. While you’re there check out the Addison Road Organic Markets on a Sunday!

Glad you guys had a great time in Sydney. Campervanning in NZ will be amazing – you will love it! How long are you here for? My partner and I were lucky enough to nab a couple of tickets to your demo at Little Bird, so look forward to seeing you there. If you need any tips on NZ travel spots def let us know, we love our little homeland!

I love how you say you feel most at home when you’re not. What beautiful family memories you’re creating. And this salad is on my list for when peaches roll around in another 6 months. Enjoy New Zealand, guys!

So pleased you enjoyed Sydney, there seems to be new and amazing cafes or restaurants opening everyday. If you are back in north bondi I would recommend Shuk, beautiful modern Israeli food with a great vibe. Of course you can’t go past the Saturday Bondi Farmers Market – lovely fresh food :). Enjoy New Zealand, if you get a chance visit Waiheke Island (my home town) – it’s just lovely.

It never ceases to amaze me how much space we have to be ourselves and enjoy other people more genuinely once we get rid of all the “stuff”. I moved overseas a year ago and got rid of everything except my most treasured possessions – it was such a liberating experience! Can’t wait to hear what you make of Melbourne, it’s my home city :) oh, and beautiful pics, beautiful family, as always!! :D

This salad looks delicious! Is there any way the readers from other parts of the world can get access to those wonderful breakfast recipes you have been working on for your breakfast classes? Maybe in the form of an e-book like you did for those that don’t have the Green Kitchen app? Please, let me know because I’m always looking for new breakfast inspiration.

For the past few weeks, I’ve been living vicariously through your Instagram feeds. You, Luise, Elsa, and Isac are such a beautiful family! I haven’t been to Australia in years but you’ve inspired my desire to go again. I’m currently in Hong Kong, where peaches and pumpkin are both in season so I might give this a try. Have fun in New Zealand, I can’t wait to hear about all your adventures!

so glad you have enjoyed tour time back in sSdney and had the chance to visit all toss delicious places! I also recommend’Henselys Wholefoods in Bondi Junction (Soon to open in Alexandria), Bondi Wholefoods in Bondi, Page Cafe in Bondi Junction, Real Food Connection in Camperdown. X

I feel the same when my husband Scott and I are on our camping adventures! I feel the most at home in a tent with next to nothing in the middle of nowhere. Isn’t it amazing. You feel so full. Escaping the distractions and focusing on each other. Happy for you and your lovely little family to be getting some of that time together. Your blog is one of my greatest inspirations, thanks for another gorgeous and simple recipe celebrating whole foods!

I like the combination of different flavors, the sweet components with the sour ones sound delicious. I just started making my favorite salad (red beet, salad, goat cheese and honey) with roasted almonds instead of plain ones and I must say it was a revelation! Give it a try too and be amazed!

I tried your salad recipe yesterday and it was absolutely delicious!
However, I had to change it up a bit, because I couldn’t get a pumpkin or peaches. Instead I opted for a few small, cooked potatoes and some kakis. I never would have thought that this combination could work, but it does! :)
It was also my first time eating fennel and I was pleasantly surprised. Thank you so much for sharing! :)

This salad looks divine. Can’t wait to try it out. I have been trying to purchase green kitchen travels but not even amazon has it. I was just wondering if you could tell me when I would be able to get my hands on one? Oh and congrats on the second book being such a hit!

Happy travels! Sounds like you’re having a great time. So many delicious places I’ll have to visit in Sydney now! Can’t wait to see what you get up to in NZ, I’m forever wishing I’m over there again. Such a beautiful place.

I lived in Bondi for a few years – Gertrude & Alice was my home from home. Also if you get back there, worth going to the Organic Bakery in North Bondi (awesome flourless chocolate cake and carrot cake and bread to die for). Also Brown Sugar on Curlewis St is a great restaurant and lovely staff.

Excited to hear that you guys have been to Sydney! I have lived there for the past few months and I got to know a few nice vegetarian/vegan restaurants! One of them is called “Lentil as anything” and is in Newtown (with the motto “pay as you feel” and completely vegan).
The other one is called “Govinda’s” and is a vegetarian buffet sort of thing (all you can eat) in Darlinghurst. Have fun!

This looks delicious! The peaches add a hint of summer (that I am missing) and the pumpkin gives it that heart winter taste. I think I will try to add the superfood radicchio as even more of a nutritional powerhouse, and I am looking forward to serving it to my family. Thank you again for the great recipe!

Very lovely! I also grilled the peaches and put them with the pumpkin in a frying pan with some of the dressing to caramelise slightly. I also substituted half of the lettuce for quinoa to make it a bit more substantial dinner. Yum-o!

You are absolutely correct how quickly these precious moments with family pass. I am happy that you realize this and are grasping and enjoying each moment.
Stay safe and happy in your travels.
The salad of course looks delicious; healthy and colorful.
xo Catherine